Flamengo and Fluminense’s challenge: stop Palmeiras pulling away at the top

Flamengo and Fluminense’s challenge: stop Palmeiras pulling away at the top

The 14th round of Brazil’s Série A presents a particular challenge for Flamengo and Fluminense, the two clubs closest to Palmeiras in the standings: not letting their São Paulo rival pull even further ahead at the top of the table. Palmeiras has 32 points, while Fla and Flu have 26. Next come São Paulo with 23 and Athletico-PR with 22.

This Saturday, Palmeiras and Santos face off in a derby at Allianz Parque at 6:30 p.m. Flamengo and Fluminense only play on Sunday. Therefore, if Palmeiras beats Santos, it will move nine points ahead of its main challengers.

On Sunday, in another traditional Brazilian football derby, Flamengo and Vasco meet at 4 p.m. at the Maracanã. A little later, at 6:30 p.m., Fluminense visits Internacional at Beira-Rio.

São Paulo, currently in fourth place, also only takes the field on Sunday. It will host Bahia at 4 p.m. at Cícero de Souza Marques.

The round also features another highly anticipated derby: Cruzeiro vs. Atlético-MG, who play this Saturday at 9 p.m. at Mineirão. Cruzeiro has been on the rise in the league after a very inconsistent start. Meanwhile, Galo is going through a delicate moment in the competition and is still feeling the impact of losing its idol Hulk, who announced his farewell to the club.

Check out the round’s fixtures:

Saturday (2)

Botafogo vs. Remo, 4 p.m. – Nilton Santos;

Palmeiras vs. Santos, 6:30 p.m. – Allianz Parque;

Vitória vs. Coritiba, 6:30 p.m. – Barradão;

Athletico-PR vs. Grêmio, 8:30 p.m. – Arena da Baixada;

Cruzeiro vs. Atlético-MG, 9 p.m. – Mineirão.

Sunday (3)

Flamengo vs. Vasco, 4 p.m. – Maracanã;

São Paulo vs. Bahia, 4 p.m. – Cícero de Souza Marques;

Internacional vs. Fluminense, 6:30 p.m. – Beira-Rio;

Chapecoense vs. Red Bull Bragantino, 6:30 p.m. – Arena Condá;

Mirassol vs. Corinthians, 8:30 p.m. – Maião.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.